Latest news with #FernandoFernandez
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Chandler family fundraising for son's ultra-rare disease treatment
The Brief A young Chandler boy named Marco was recently diagnosed with beta-mannosidosis. It's an ultra-rare genetic disorder and there are only five known cases in the United States. Marco's parents are raising money through the Lost Enzyme Project to help fund a treatment for the progressive disease. CHANDLER, Ariz. - A Chandler family is turning to the community to help with fundraising for their son. He's one of only five kids in the country battling an ultra-rare genetic disorder. What they're saying At first glance, Marco is a curious little boy like most, playing with his toys and cars. What you can't see is an ultra-rare genetic disorder. He's been diagnosed with called beta-mannosidosis. "The symptoms vary so much from person to person, but the one thing we know for sure is, this is progressive," Fernando Fernandez, Marco's father, said. The disorder has only five known cases in the entire United States. Remarkably, two children diagnosed live just ten minutes apart from each other in Chandler. Marco was born with hearing loss and has been wearing hearing aids since he was three-months-old. His parents noticed his behavior was off and took him to a specialist who diagnosed him with ADHD and low cognitive function at 6-years-old. They then learned of his non-curable disorder this past March. Why you should care "We need funds to provide, so they can have the treatment they need. There's only five kids, including my son, with this condition in all the United States. It's very, very rare, and they are working on a treatment, but we need the money to pay for it," Melissa Fernandez, his mother, said. They came across the Lost Enzyme Project, a nonprofit that raises awareness of the rare disease. They're raising $500,000 for a life-saving treatment in development. Without treatment, the disease can cause progression of blindness and inability to walk. The family says they want to move quickly by spreading the word about the disease. "I will just put all my effort into helping my son and all the other kids affected by this condition," Fernando said. What you can do You can learn more about the Lost Enzyme Project and donate to it by clicking here.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
How Brands Can Unlock The Creator Economy
Future of the creator economy. getty An estimated 150 million Americans watched Apollo 11 land on the Moon in 1969. Brands like Volkswagen, IBM, Sony, General Electric, General Motors and Panasonic capitalized on the spectacle through broadcast advertising. Many of the world's most recognized brands have been built on the back of TV advertising. Back then, attention was easy to buy if you had a hero campaign and a respectable media budget. Today, audience fragmentation makes it more challenging and more expensive to reach the same number of people. To unlock growth, marketing spend is shifting from traditional TV to influencer marketing. New WFA research shows that 54% of multinational brand marketers plan to boost influencer marketing spend in 2025. In a recent interview, Fernando Fernandez, the new Unilever CEO, highlighted the FMCG's ambition to build 'desirability at scale.' Unilever plans to spend half of its ad budget on social media and work with 20 times more influencers. Fernandez stated, 'Messages of brands coming from corporations are suspicious messages.' He added, 'Creating marketing activity systems in which others can speak for your brand at scale is very important.' The rationale is clear. People trust people more than they trust faceless corporations. However, if brands want to unlock the creator economy's value, they need to overcome three major challenges. Influencer Fatigue Becoming a TikToker or YouTuber is now officially the number one career aspiration for Gen Alpha. Since I first wrote about the creator economy, the market has doubled and is estimated to reach half a trillion dollars by 2027. As more money flows into the sector, the creator content space will become oversaturated and commodified. In summary, a higher proportion of creator content will be brand-sponsored. This is an inherent attribute of marketing. Where attention goes, money flows. However, most people don't follow their favorite creator to learn more about mustard, Marmite or mayonnaise. Unless managed carefully, people suffer from influencer fatigue as their feeds get inundated with inauthentic brand promotions. We are already seeing the rise of digital detox and the resurgence of real-life experiences amongst Gen-Z. Young people want to break free from social media and find human connections again. To avoid influencer fatigue, brands need to surrender control and give creators the creative freedom to communicate with their audience in their own unique way, instead of reading out a corporate message. Nonetheless, working with thousands of creators can dilute brand consistency and equity. Each creator will have a slightly different approach, messaging and audience. Brand managers can't control the narrative like in broadcast media. Therefore, making brands more susceptible to backlash. As seen with Poppi's vending machine controversy, Bud Light's boycott and Shein's influencer backlash after a factory tour. Brands should focus on relevant micro-communities with shared values, interests and passions. Creator-Owned Brands Brands are no longer competing with other brands for consumers. They are now in direct competition with a new generation of creators establishing and growing their own brands. Creators have a strong parasocial relationship with their audience, whereas brands must continuously pay to reach their desired audience. A recent survey shows that 88% of creators have already launched their own product. Moreover, 33% of Gen-Z have purchased a product from a creator-founded brand. Creators are not just distribution channels. They are brand builders. Though most creator-owned brands are small and medium-sized DTC operations, we are starting to see the emergence of global creator-owned brands. For example, Huda Beauty was ranked the number one beauty brand in Q1 2025, above NYX, Dior Beauty and Charlotte Tilbury. Hailey Bieber's skincare brand, Rhode, was recently acquired by E.L.F. Beauty for $1 billion. And Emma Chamberlain's coffee brand is projected to hit $33 billion in revenue this year. For brands, the relationship with creators has to expand beyond a transactional social post into a strategic partnership founded on shared values. Brands bring global scale and resources; creators have a highly engaged community. Building joint ventures and brand ambassador programs should be a top priority. Deinfluencing The deinfluencing hashtag has over a billion views across more than 75,000 posts on TikTok. Deinfluencing is when creators tell followers what not to buy and which brands to avoid. Young people are using social media to discourage needless consumption. The cost of living crisis, growing awareness of the climate emergency and micro-trend fatigue are motivating a growing number of creators to deter their friends and followers from buying more stuff. If the trend continues to gain momentum, it poses a serious risk to brand advertising and influencer-backed campaigns. Deinfluencers often offer hacks, DIY alternatives and better-quality options. The aim is to make people more conscious of their consumption habits. If people still need to buy, a deinfluencer usually signposts their audience to the most ethical and sustainable option. The movement will make creators more wary about the brands they collaborate with. For brand marketers, deinfluencing requires a shift to more honest communication, ethical products and circular business models. Otherwise, your brands and products will be at risk of being deinfluenced. Already, 64% of Gen-Z have decided not to spend with a brand as a direct result of engaging with deiinfluencer content. In the words of Jeff Bezos, founder of the world's biggest e-commerce company: 'Your brand is what other people say about you when you're not in the room.'
Business Mayor
21-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Raising Our Fair Value Estimate for Wide-Moat Unilever
Editor's Note: This analysis was originally published as a stock note by Morningstar Equity Research. We are transferring coverage of Unilever ULVR, a leading global player in home and personal care, and packaged foods, with significant exposure to emerging markets, accounting for 58% of revenue in 2024. The bottom line: We raise our fair value estimate by around 3% to EUR 59/GBX 4,940/USD 66. We maintain our wide economic moat, standard capital allocation, and Low Morningstar Uncertainty ratings. At current levels, shares offer a modest upside of around 6%. Over the past 18 months, Unilever's shares have risen about 25%, driven by a strategic reset focused on driving productivity savings and stepping up brand and marketing investment and innovation efforts to rekindle volume growth. The wide moat rating reflects Unilever's strong retailer relationships, brand strength across some key categories, particularly in personal care, and cost advantage stemming from its scale and operational efficiency. Big picture: Under new CEO Fernando Fernandez, the company is embarking on the next stage of its transformation. Fernandez's agenda focuses on sharper market execution and more impactful, scaled innovations to improve brand appeal in an increasingly fragmented competitive landscape. Management targets consistent volume growth of at least 2%, supplemented by premiumization efforts to drive mid-single digit organic sales growth, alongside modest operating margin accretion led by gross margin gains. This is supported by continued portfolio rotation toward higher growth categories like beauty and wellbeing, as well as the company's strong presence in emerging markets where population growth, urbanization, and rising incomes should support long-term demand. Read More Nvidia GTC 2025: Winners & Losers Key stats: We model 3.8% organic sales growth, including 2.2% from volume. Our 2029 operating margin forecast is 18.9%, 50 basis points ahead of 2024, reflecting a 100-basis-point contribution from gross margin and overhead reduction, partly offset by brand and marketing reinvestment. The author or authors do not own shares in any securities mentioned in this article. Find out about Morningstar's editorial policies. SaoT iWFFXY aJiEUd EkiQp kDoEjAD RvOMyO uPCMy pgN wlsIk FCzQp Paw tzS YJTm nu oeN NT mBIYK p wfd FnLzG gYRj j hwTA MiFHDJ OfEaOE LHClvsQ Tt tQvUL jOfTGOW YbBkcL OVud nkSH fKOO CUL W bpcDf V IbqG P IPcqyH hBH FqFwsXA Xdtc d DnfD Q YHY Ps SNqSa h hY TO vGS bgWQqL MvTD VzGt ryF CSl NKq ParDYIZ mbcQO fTEDhm tSllS srOx LrGDI IyHvPjC EW bTOmFT bcDcA Zqm h yHL HGAJZ BLe LqY GbOUzy esz l nez uNJEY BCOfsVB UBbg c SR vvGlX kXj gpvAr l Z GJk Gi a wg ccspz sySm xHibMpk EIhNl VlZf Jy Yy DFrNn izGq uV nVrujl kQLyxB HcLj NzM G dkT z IGXNEg WvW roPGca owjUrQ SsztQ lm OD zXeM eFfmz MPk READ SOURCE
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Unilever to be Lifebuoy for growth in India business: CEO Fernando Fernandez
Unilever CEO Fernando Fernandez said the company remains confident about its growth prospects in India , highlighting the absence of any new headwinds and the positive impact of government incentives, tax relief, and lower inflation in food and oil. These factors, he said, will drive demand in the country, where the company remains focused on expansion. "We have strong positions in home care and health where we will invest and accelerate. In some of our core areas, we have to address... which in the short term will really mean that we need to invest behind these brands. In some categories, we are seeing competitive intensity go up - and it happens," Fernandez told analysts during its earnings call. "India is a consistent performer for us, has been gaining shares for the last three years and there is a lot to play for," said Fernandez. HUL , which owns Rin detergent, Lux soap and Sunsilk shampoo, is the country's largest fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company and its performance is considered a proxy for broader consumer sentiment. India is the second-biggest market for Unilever , accounting for 12% of global sales. Fernandez said one of the issues with Unilever is that it is a federation of local and regional brands. "I want to attack that, building a more coherent and consistent global portfolio, making US and India, the two anchors of our portfolio, and radically simplifying our business from a geographical point of view, from a technology point of view, and from a processes point of view," said Fernandez, adding that it was very confident both on the growth profile as well as on the margin profile for India. However, growth rate of its Indian business has tapered off over the past year with HUL sales growing 2% in FY25, as consumers tighten their budget amid inflationary pressures across categories. Unilever said it saw increased promotional intensity and price reductions in India by international competitors in the homecare segment during the March quarter, and it responded with price cuts of its laundry brands. "The long-term economics of that market (India) prevail and we are well-positioned to do that. And in defending some of these categories, we will be unblinking. There is only one place that we need to address, which is food, and we will do that. When we look at it in its totality, I think this is a market where we will be unblinking in our defence and when we get our growth engine moving up, we know how to really make money here and how really to drive earnings ahead of growth," said Fernandez, who was earlier the company's chief financial officer, and took over as its CEO in March this year. HUL said it has started addressing some of the challenges. For instance, it has tweaked the price and positioning of Horlicks to make it more contemporary, slashed prices in laundry, repositioned its largest soap brand Lifebuoy and expanded Glow and Lovely into newer sub-segments. In an investor call on Thursday, HUL said it expects stronger market demand in the next few quarters and will be on the offensive, and "play to win" by increased investment in the segment of the future and innovations, which will mean growth over margins in the near term. "That's the spirit, or what we are trying to do. Is there a price versus cost battle in a certain category? Yes. And we are going to unblinkingly defend and, in fact, go a step further. So, I think that's just to give you the mood and temperature of how we look at the business today, which is in a stronger, optimistic lens, and we do see the future six months gradually improving," Rohit Jawa, managing director at HUL, said during the investor call.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Unilever to be Lifebuoy For Growth in India Biz
Unilever CEO Fernando Fernandez said the company remains confident about its growth prospects in India, highlighting the absence of any new headwinds and the positive impact of government incentives, tax relief, and lower inflation in food and oil. These factors, he said, will drive demand in the country, where the company remains focused on expansion. 'We have strong positions in home care and health where we will invest and accelerate. In some of our core areas, we have to address… which in the short term will really mean that we need to invest behind these brands. In some categories, we are seeing competitive intensity go up — and it happens,' Fernandez told analysts during its earnings call. 'India is a consistent performer for us, has been gaining shares for the last three years and there is a lot to play for,' said Fernandez. HUL, which owns Rin detergent, Lux soap and Sunsilk shampoo, is the country's largest fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company and its performance is considered a proxy for broader consumer sentiment. India is the second-biggest market for Unilever, accounting for 12% of global sales. Fernandez said one of the issues with Unilever is that it is a federation of local and regional brands. 'I want to attack that, building a more coherent and consistent global portfolio, making US and India, the two anchors of our portfolio, and radically simplifying our business from a geographical point of view, from a technology point of view, and from a processes point of view,' said Fernandez, adding that it was very confident both on the growth profile as well as on the margin profile for India. However, growth rate of its Indian business has tapered off over the past year with HUL sales growing 2% in FY25, as consumers tighten their budget amid inflationary pressures across categories. Unilever said it saw increased promotional intensity and price reductions in India by international competitors in the homecare segment during the March quarter, and it responded with price cuts of its laundry brands. 'The long-term economics of that market (India) prevail and we are well-positioned to do that. And in defending some of these categories, we will be unblinking. There is only one place that we need to address, which is food, and we will do that. When we look at it in its totality, I think this is a market where we will be unblinking in our defence and when we get our growth engine moving up, we know how to really make money here and how really to drive earnings ahead of growth,' said Fernandez, who was earlier the company's chief financial officer, and took over as its CEO in March this year. HUL said it has started addressing some of the challenges. For instance, it has tweaked the price and positioning of Horlicks to make it more contemporary, slashed prices in laundry, repositioned its largest soap brand Lifebuoy and expanded Glow and Lovely into newer sub-segments. In an investor call on Thursday, HUL said it expects stronger market demand in the next few quarters and will be on the offensive, and 'play to win' by increased investment in the segment of the future and innovations, which will mean growth over margins in the near term. 'That's the spirit, or what we are trying to do. Is there a price versus cost battle in a certain category? Yes. And we are going to unblinkingly defend and, in fact, go a step further. So, I think that's just to give you the mood and temperature of how we look at the business today, which is in a stronger, optimistic lens, and we do see the future six months gradually improving,' Rohit Jawa, managing director at HUL, said during the investor call. ON CHALLENGES In some categories, we are seeing competitive intensity go up — and it happens. ON LONG-TERM VISION When we get our growth engine moving up, we know how to really make money here.
